Multiple point pen



- Sept. 14, 1965 R. w. HOLL MULTIPLE POINT PEN Filed Aug. 16, 1965 United States Patent 3,205,866 MULTIPLE POINT PEN Robert W. Hall, 293 N. Oak Ave., Pasadena, Calif. Filed Aug. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 302,550 6 Claims. (Cl. 120-4213) This invention relates to ball point pens and particularly to an improved form thereof having a plurality of selectively usable points.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a ball point pen comprising a body structure having a plurality of separate, replaceable cartridges each embodying an ink fountain or reservoir and its own ball point and the pen structure generally including means for rendering selected ones of the cartridges available for use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ball point pen having a tubular body structure housing a plurality of cartridges of sectoral shape in cross section and each having its ball point associated therewith together with means constantly operative to tend to hold said cartridges and their respective ball points retracted into the tubular body structure and further having means for positively projecting a selected one of said cartridge to render the ball point thereof available for use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a multiple point ball point pen in which a pocket clip element on the exterior thereof is, additionally, an instrumentality for selectively rendering any one of the multiple points of the pen available for use and also for permitting all of the multiple points to be retracted within the pen body when desired.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such additional objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts, and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts described by way of example in the following specification of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of said specification and in which drawings:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged, side elevational view of a pen embodying the invention,

FIG. 2 is an end elevational View as viewed from the left hand end of FIG. 1; the scale being the same as of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged end elevational view of the right hand end as viewed in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal medial sectional view as viewed on the staggered line 4-4 of FIGS. 2 and 5,

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view in the plane represented by the line 5-5 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a further enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the plane represented by the line 6-6 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged scale, transverse sectional view on the line 77 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 7a is a sectional view showing a modified form of cartridge and barrel interengagement,

FIG. 8 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the pen projecting means,

FIG. 9 is a further enlarged, fragmentary, side elevational view of the means which is constantly operative to hold the selector means in any position to which it may be turned, and

FIG. 10 is a greatly enlarged medial sectional view of the ball of one of the cartridge units.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a combined pocket clip and selector means 1, a barrel 2, a point guide 3, and a plurality of identical pen units, hereinafter referred to as cartridges, each normally held in retracted position by one each of an equal number of compression springs 5.

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Each of the cartridges 4 comprises an elongated body 6 which is of such sectoral configuration in cross section that a predetermined number (for example, 3) of said cartridges freely slidingly fit inside of the barrel 2. The inner face of the barrel is provided with a corresponding number of equally spaced, longitudinally extending grooves 7 which are slidingly engaged by mating ribs 8 on the curved surfaces of the cartridge bodies 6 to prevent rotation of the cartridges as a group within the barrel. Alternatively, of course, the ribs and grooves might be reversed or any other configuration employed which would permit the relative endwise movement of the cartridges independently of one, another within the barrel while being held against rotative movement therein. For example, referring to FIG. 7a, the outer or curved faces of the cartridges 41a might be generated about a lesser radius than the radial distance from the axial line of the barrel 2a to the most remote point of the inner wall of the barrel and the inner wall of the barrel be correspondingly fluted to accommodate the modified clover leaf cross sectional configuration of the nested cart-ridges. The body 6 is provided with a circular, longitudinally extending ink reservoir cavity 9 which at one end is closed by a plug 10 provided with a breather orifice 11.

The barrel 2 is internally threaded at one end thereof which is engaged by the externally threaded end portion 12 of the point guide component 3; said end, within the barrel, affording an end face 13 to which further reference will be made. The threaded end 12 is terminated by a shoulder 14 formed by a peripheral rib portion 15 on the point guide and said shoulder engages the end of the barrel 2. The point guide 3 is provided with a central bore 16 of smaller diameter than the interior of the barrel extending from end to end thereof and disposed in axial alignment therewith. Each cartridge 4 is provided a stem portion 1'7 of sectoral cross section having a radial dimension such as to conform to the radial dimension of the bore 16 and to combine with the other of the stem portions to fill said bore. Each of said stem portions is provided with its own ink channel extending from the reservoir 9 longitudinally of the stem portion to the end thereof remote from the reservoir and terminating in a short diagonal run 19 diagonally to the juncture of the two flat sides of the stem portion with the end hereof and being provided with an ink distributing ball 20 rotatable in a metal sleeve 21 inserted in the portion 19 of the ink channel. Laterally radially outwardly from the reservoir 9, the end of the cartridge body 6 from which the stem portion 17 extends is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 22 of modified semicircular cross section in which the associated spring 5 is housed for reaction between the end face 13 of the stem portion 3 and the end face of said slot in its tendency to move the cartridge inwardly when not caused to be projected for use by the selector means now to be described.

The selector and pocket clip unit 1 comprises a tubular body 23 closed at one end which, to contain and afford bearing support for the selector means, may be conveniently formed in two halves meeting along a medial longitudinal plane; the end wall 24 and inner bearing wall 25 thereof being provided with mating grooves and ridges 26 extending parallel to the axial line of said body and other mating grooves and ridges 27 extending at right angles thereto whereby the halves constituting each of said bodies are self-aligning incident to being adhered together.

The end of the barrel engaged by the selector unit is externally threaded and the end of the selector unit body 23 remote from the end wall 24 is provided with complementary internal threads 30 and with an annular shoulder 31 which engages the end face of the barrel to determine the longitudinal position of the selector unit in the axial line of the unit and barrel. Mounted in bearings 32 and 33 in the walls 24 and 25 and disposed in the axial line of the selector unit is a rotatable shaft 34a One end of said shaft protrudes beyond the end wall 24 and carries the radially extending limb 35 of the pocket clip element 36 which is fixed thereto: said clip including the usual longitudinally spring arm 37 having the distal end thereof yieldingly engaging the side wall of the selector unit body 23 adjacent the threaded end thereof.

At the side of the bearing wall 25 adjacent the threaded end of the selector unit body 23, the shaft 34 carries a crank arm 39 terminating in a ball end 40 having the center line thereof disposed at a radial distance from the axial line of the shaft 34 which is substantially equal to the radial distance of the centers of each of the reservoirs 9 from the center line of the barrel. The outer end faces of the plugs each carry a ball 40 adapted to be engaged by the ball end 40 and the distance from the distal end of the ball end 40 from the adjacent and surface of the bearing 33 is such that when aligned with any one of the balls 40' of the cartridges, it will move the thus engaged cartridge outwardly exposing the ball point thereof for use as best shown in FIG. 1. When the ball end 40 is midway between any two of the balls 40', all cartridges are held retracted.

Means is provided for holding the selector unit in any rotative position to which it may be moved, said means comprising a wheel 41 fixed to the shaft 34 and having a serrated peripheral surface and a leaf spring 42 having one end attached to the inner wall surface of the selector unit body by any suitable means as, for example, by a rivet 43, with the opposite end of said spring formed into a detent yieldingly engaging the serrations in the wheel 41. Beyond the distal end 38 of the clip, the body 23 may carry indicia, as at 44, to indicate the rotative position of the clip and the devices actuated thereby to effect the projection of the desired one of the cartridges.

The number of cartridges contained in any barrel and stem portion may be two or more so long as the sectoral configuration thereof is such as will accommodate the desired number and the various reservoirs can be filled with different colors of ink and the ball points may be of different degrees of fineness. Unscrewing the selector unit from the barrel exposes the ends of the cartridges for removal and replacement.

While in the foregoing specification there has been disclosed the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, it is not to be inferred therefrom that the invention is limited to the precise details of construction thus disclosd by way of example and it will be understood that the invention includes as well all such changes and mod ifications in the parts and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a multiple point pen, a body structure including an elongated, hollow barrel component and an elongated, hollow tubular point guide component of less internal diameter than the interior of said barrel and having the inner surface thereof disposed coaxially with respect to the interior of said barrel and forming an extension thereof, a plurality of ink cartridges slidably contained in said body structure and each comprising an elongated body portion disposed in said barrel and a stem portion at one end of said body portion and disposed in said point guide, an ink containing cavity in said body portion, an ink distributing ball at the end of said stem portion remote from said reservoir portion and an ink conducting channel extending from said cavity to said ball, a rounded end surface at the end of said body portion remote from said stem portion constituting a follower means the portions of said cartridges in said barrel and said point guide being substantially sectoral in cross section and filling the respective interiors thereof, interengaging means between at least one of said cartridges and said body structure constantly effective to prevent rotative movement thereof in said body structure, spring means reacting between said point guide and said cartridges constantly operative to urge said cartridges to a position in which the ball points thereof are retracted into said body structure, and rotatably mounted manually operable devices carried by said body structure having a cam surface operative to engage the ink cartridge follower means and move a selected one of said cartridges in opposition to said spring means to an extent exposing the ball point thereof for use.

2. A multiple point pen as claimed in claim 1 in which said means for preventing rotative movement of said cartridges in said barrel comprises interengaging rib and groove means.

3. A multiple point pen as claimed in claim 1 in which said spring means comprises a plurality of compression springs, one for each of said cartridges, and each of said springs reacting between a shoulder formed by the juncture of the interior surfaces of said barrel and said point guide and an opposing surface on the cartridge with which it is associated.

4. A multiple point pen as claimed in claim 2 in which said interengaging rib and groove means comprises a longitudinally extending rib on the curved face of at least one of said cartridges and a complementary longitudinally extending groove on the inner face of said barrel.

5. A multiple point pen as claimed in claim 3 in which each of said cartridges at the end of the reservoir portion thereof from which the stem portion thereof extends is provided with a longitudinally extending recess in the curved face thereof which cooperates with the adjacent wall of said barrel to house the one of said spring associated with that cartridge.

6. A multiple point pen as claimed in claim 1 in which said unit comprising said manually operable devices comprises a hollow tubular member mounted on the end of said barrel opposite said point guide, a rotatable shaft journaled in said member and disposed in the axial line of said body structure, manually engagable means disposed externally of said member for rotating said shaft, and cartridge engaging means on said shaft effective as an incident to engagement with a cartridge to move it in opposition to the associated spring to an extent sufficient to project the ball point thereof out of said point guide, and in which said hollow. tubular member houses a yieldable, rotation resisting ratchet means effective to releasably retain said shaft at any position to which it may be turned.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 808,421 7/51 Germany. 446,650 3 49 Italy. 518,042 3/55 Italy.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, JEROME SCHNALL,

Examiners. 

1. IN A MULTIPLE POINT PEN, A BODY STRUCTURE INCLUDING AN ELONGATED, HOLLOW BARREL COMPONENT AND AN ELONGATED, HOLLOW TUBULAR POINT GUIDE COMPONENT OF LESS INTERNAL DIAMETER THAN THE INTERIOR OF SAID BARREL AND HAVING THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF DISPOSED COAXIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID BARREL AND FORMING AN EXTENSION THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF INK CARTRIDGES SLIDABLY CONTAINED IN SAID BODY STRUCTURE AND EACH COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY PORTION DISPOSED IN SAID BARREL AND A STEM PORTION AT ONE END OF SAID BODY PORTION AND DISPOSED IN SAID POINT GUIDE, AN INK CONTAINING CAVITY IN SAID BODY PORTION, AN INK DISTRIBUTING BALL AT THE END OF SAID STEM PORTION REMOTE FROM SAID RESERVOIR ORTIONA DN AN INK CONDUCTING CHANNEL EXTENDING FROM SAID CAVITY TO SAID BALL, A ROUNDED END SURFACE AT THE END OF SAID PODY PORTION REMOTE FROM SAID STEM PORTION CONSTITUTING A FOLLOWER MEANS THE PORTIONS OF SAID CARTRIDGES IN SAID BARRL AND SAID POINT GUIDE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SECTORAL IN CROSS SECTION AND FILLING THE RESPECTIVE INTERIORS THEREOF, INTERENGAGING MEANS BETWEEN AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CARTRIDGES AND SAID BODY STRUCTURE CONSTANTLY EFFECTIVE TO PREVENT ROTATIVE MOVEMENT THEREOF IN SAID BODY STRUCTURE, SPRING MEANS REACTING BETWEEN SAID POINT GUIDE AND SAID CARTRIDGES CONSTANTLY OPERATIVE TO URGE SAID CARTRIDGES TO A POSITION IN WHICH THE BALL POINTS THEREOF ARE RETRACTED INTO SAID BODY STRUCTURE, AND ROTATABLY MOUNTED MANUALLY OPERABLE DEVICES CARRIED BY SAID BODY STRUCTURE HAVING A CAM SURFACE OPERATIVE TO ENGAGE THE INK CARTRIDGE FOLLOWER MEANS AND MOVE A SELECTED ONE OF SAID CARTRIDGES IN OPPOSITION TO SAID SPRING MEANS TO AN EXTENT EXPOSING THE BALL POINT THEREOF FOR USE. 